Mullen gets season off to flying start

Irish road race and time trial champion Ryan Mullen powered to his first international win as a professional by taking a convincing victory in the stage three time trial at the Vuelta a San Juan last night.

Irish road race and time trial champion Ryan Mullen powered to his first international win as a professional by taking a convincing victory in the stage three time trial at the Vuelta a San Juan last night.

The 23-year-old, who has just joined the Trek-Segafredo squad for 2018, finished the 14.4km course in San Juan with a convincing 25 seconds advantage over Filippo Ganna over the UAE Team Emirates. The former An Post-Chain Reaction rider had spent three years with Cannondale but was still waiting for a breakthrough victory until yesterday.

Polish rider Rafa Majka finished five seconds further back. After suffering a puncture during stage two in Argentina, Mullen was a long way off the overall pace but he climbs up to 58th place in the general classifications in his first race of the year. Ganna takes over the leader's jersey with a five-second lead over Majka. The seven-stage race returns to the mountains today before tomorrow's decisive queen stage.